Taxing time for taxonomy scientists

The taxonomy scientists in the environment ministry are these days dishing out preliminary notes for former environment secretary Meena Gupta, who recently refused to recommend scrapping of environment clearance of Posco’s steel plant in Orissa.

When bureaucrats turn into experts, the real ones get a tough time. The taxonomy scientists in the environment ministry are these days dishing out preliminary notes for former environment secretary Meena Gupta, who recently refused to recommend scrapping of environment clearance of Posco’s steel plant in Orissa. Gupta represents India in a global group on taxonomy. So, it is now the job of scientists in the ministry to teach her taxonomy and one of them prepares educational notes on different aspects of the science. They can’t protest as IAS officers like Gupta decide their careers.

Tourism ministry’s new fetish

The tourism ministry has got a new obsession — cleanliness. Its new secretary RH Khawja wants his sub-ordinates to ensure that all utensils in his office are spotlessly cleaned. Moreover, he has told the peons in his office that they should wash their hands every time they serve tea. The new culture is keeping them busy because of the fear of losing their jobs, if the secretary gets annoyed over cleanliness issues.

Monuments Authority looking for officer

The government has begun the search for a joint secretary-level officer willing to join the National Monuments Authority. The newly created watchdog for 3,600 monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, was set up by the Cabinet in August. It is looking for someone to fill the post of member secretary under Central Staffing Scheme.

Sporting events for govt employees

The babudom — brought in at the last moment to bring in some semblance of order to the just-concluded Commonwealth Games — is getting ready for its share of games. The first round begins next week, with the inter-ministry kabaddi tournament to be followed by the inter-ministry athletic meet on November 2 and 3. This will be followed by a badminton tournament in November-end and cricket championship in January. The games are being organised by the Central Civil Services Cultural & Sports Board, the nodal agency for promotion of Sports and Cultural activities among Central government employees. Of course, there is no mad rush to get on to this board, equivalent to the Organising Committee for Games. Most posts in this ‘OC’ are filled on ex-officio basis.